Growing Up Latino With 'Broad City's Arturo Castro

Increasingly popular funny man Arturo Castro is slowly but surely becoming a household staple as Jaime, from Comedy Central’s gut-busting sitcom Broad City (created by IIana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson).

Before his major TV debut, Castro was your average career-driven hustler trying to make his mark in Hollywood. He migrated to the states when he was 19 after doing a stint in Law School back home in Guatemala. After his arrival on American soil, he attended the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts and later spent a summer at Vassar College. Now you’re seeing him as Jaime, the queer drug-smuggling Latino on Broad City.

“Race is not an issue in Broad City,” he tells uswhile talking about his character's charming, yet cringeworthy accent. “Because we are all sort of like a big family. It just feels like the United Colors of Benetton. Jaime is an individual. It doesn’t matter him being gay or having an accent or whatever. It’s not a defect, it’s a quality. And acknowledging [that] through the writing and the platform they are giving us—it’s just an amazing feat.”

VIBE VIVA recently caught up the actor, and got some insight on what it was like growing up Latino for him back home. Get acquainted.

Unforgettable childhood memory:
One of my favorite childhood memories was having movie marathons with my mom. My mom worked, so on her day off we would go to the movies, and just spend the whole day there watching every single movie that they had. That was cool, and bringing my own popcorn too. I’m particular to the caramel sweet ones, but if it’s the salty ones—I put industrial amounts of butter on it, so nobody else wants to touch it—more popcorn for me! Don’t touch my popcorn if you don’t want your greasy hands, you know? [Laughs]

Favorite home cooked dish:
Guacamole. We had avocado trees in my garden, and we used to make this homemade guacamole. We had this day [at school] where we would bring dishes to sell for a foundation or a basketball team. I brought my guac, and the next day I called into the principal’s office with the head of discipline—I’m scared sh*tless! They were like, ‘Arturo, we have a very important question to ask you: where did you get that delicious guacamole?!’ And then after that, every time I got in trouble, I’d bring them a batch.

Craziest Hispanic proverb as told by mami or abuela:
My mom is always saying, ‘El que no sabe adonde va, no llega a ningun lado.” (If he doesn’t know where he is going, he doesn’t get anywhere.)

A photo posted by Arturo Castro (@arturocastrop) on May 18, 2016 at 8:56am PDT

Che Guevara moment (greatest moment of rebellion):
I once organized an entire school walk-out, because I didn’t agree with the hiked prices of the sandwich store in school. We split up and refused to take any classes. [Laughs] It was this privately owned cafeteria. Then they started hiking up the prices for these really shitty products, so we just organized a school walk-out and left. We left so confidently within ourselves. It was a wonderful Che Guevara moment until we got home and got our asses kicked by our moms. But there was a good two-hour period where [we felt like] the kings of the universe.

I first saw myself as Latino when…
When I moved to the United States. I was surrounded by people just like me when I was growing up, and here I had to embrace my Latin heritage. I had to reconnect with my Latin roots. Basically when you come here you spend too much time trying to blend in. But at one point you start losing a little bit of your identity. Because you feel like maybe you would have had more of an opportunity. Three years in I realized how cool it was to be named Arturo Castro, and to have such Latin values.

Chupacabra or El Cuco?
El Chupacabra—I even thought I saw one once, but then I might have just been drunk. When we moved from the city to the suburbs, and there was this rat that was as big as a f*cking pig in the middle of the road. And I was driving home, and I was like 'f*ck—that’s a chupacabra.’ I can’t see very well from a far, so I was convinced it was a chupacabra. Until I got near it, and it just looked like an ugly rat. For a second I thought, ‘oh my god’ I am patient zero he is going to kill me, and people are going to find me. That’s my legend. I’m going to be legendary. [Laughs]

Favorite poor man’s meal:
In Gautemala it’s tortillas and frijoles with a little bit of white cheese and avocado. Here in New York, I survived on two-dollar falafels for a year and a half, before my career picked up. [They were] from this place in Williamsburg called Oasis. I swear I ate it everyday for a year and a half.

Household cure- all/remedy:
Vicks Vapor Rub. I use that for everything. My mom gave me Vicks Vapor Rub for everything. If my legs hurt, if I was feeling sad, if I was feeling hungry—it was the cure for all.

Salsa, Bachata or Reggaeton?
Bachata is awesome. I wish I could dance it better than I do, but bachata is so cool I love it.

Telenovela guilty pleasure:
It was when I was a kid, and my sisters made me watch it. It was called Alcanzar Una Estrella—I was like five years old. And I remember crying my heart out when the main protagonist died. But then he came back to life obviously, because that’s what you do when you’re in a soap opera—you are immortal.

Historical hero/heroine?
I really love Pablo Neruda. I know he is not your revolutionary commander, but when you think about it the poems that he wrote—his voice is very familiar to me. When I discovered Pablo Neruda, I really discovered my roots and Latin American literature.

What is your life mantra?
There is no plan b. You aim for #1 always. If you are sure there is no other thing in the world you want, the obstacles will just disappear in front of you.

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Some of the entries on our list, like cuts by Drake, Travis Scott and Childish Gambino, were at the forefront of the conversation in 2018, dominating streaming services and radio around the country. Indie darling Saba made waves, and he’s included here as well. Jazz wizard Kamasi Washington dropped some of the best protest music of the year. But there are also some songs on this year’s list that spoke to the VIBE Tribe in a different way. Cardi B had hits all year, but an album cut impressed us most; Usher and Zaytoven’s new album didn’t make a huge splash commercially, but one of its songs appears here. And Beyonce appears on one of the best songs of the year that never even saw an official release–but that didn’t stop us from including it here.

Music broke the rules this year, and so did we. Read below, and tell us what surprise choices are making your songs of the year list.

Kanye West and Drake aren’t exactly in the best place at the moment. West’s Dec. 13 Twitter rant detailed their issues, in which he accuses Drake of “sneak dissing” and threatening him.

“You sneak dissing on [Travis Scott] records and texting Kris [Jenner] talking about how’s the family.” he wrote among many other tweets and allegations against the Scorpion MC.

While this is a bump in the road, the two haven’t always been enemies. Despite the shenanigans surrounding them, Kanye West and Drake have had a very fruitful relationship. All drama aside, the duo have created many memorable moments in hip-hop and pop culture. They’ve written and recorded some incredible songs and shared countless stages during concerts and tours.

To abstain from dwelling on the negativity, VIBE has collected a list of moments taking you through the high points in the rappers’ relationship. Check it out below.

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Drake's Freestyles Over Many Beats By 'Ye

Before he was one of the most sought-after rappers in the world, Drizzy has looked up to Kanye West and sampled his work. For “Say What’s Real,” a single off his mixtape So Far Gone, the “In My Feelings” MC sampled Yeezy’s “Say You Will” off of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The admiration continued throughout the years, resulting in more freestyles over songs like “Swagga Like Us” and “Barry Bonds.” Both tracks feature beats created by the Chi-town native.

‘Thank Me Later’ Proves Their Shared Power

After meeting in 2009, the duo came together to bring Drake's Thank Me Later album to the next level. They collaborated on two tracks- the futuristic love songs “Show Me A Good Time,” and “Find Your Love.” With West holding down production, deep-pocketed 808’s and table-top scratch sounds were highlighted. The accolades for the latter song resulted in the No. 5 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts as they created their own lane.

Drake Calls Kanye “The Most Influential Person”

In a 2009 interview, the then-industry rookie had some nice words for West. Speaking specifically about the 41-year-old’s 808’s and Heartbreak album, the Toronto rapper described ‘Ye as "the most influential person” who was important to young emcees in the game.

"Before I ever got the chance to meet him, Kanye West shaped a lot of what I do, as far as music goes," Drake said. He knows how to utilize great sounds and great music. So before I met him, I had the utmost respect for Kanye West. I'd even go as far as to say he's the most influential person as far as a musician that I'd ever had in my life."

Their Collaborations On Wax

The pair has been making music together for nearly 10 years, with some standout tracks including “Forever,” the remix to “All Of The Lights,” and “Pop Style.” On their 2017 song “Glow” off of Drake’s playlist More Life, both rappers discuss their growing, limitless success. West was rumored to initially appear on Drizzy’s smash-hit “Nice For What.” He reportedly had a verse on the critically-acclaimed track until the beef between Drake and his G.O.O.D. Music cohort Pusha T became lethal.

The Joint Mixtape That Never Happened

Drake and Kanye are no strangers when it comes to making joint albums with other artists. Drake worked with Future on the platinum-selling album What A Time To Be Alive, while Kanye released Watch The Throne with JAY-Z to critical acclaim. However, it has been hinted for the longest time that the two were working on a full-length album of their own.

Kanye confirmed the plan to release an album with Drake to Vogue in 2016, shortly after hinting at a joint project during OVO Fest. The Take Care rapper co-signed the announcement, saying "What my brother was asking before was, are you ready if we make an album?"

Drake Writing For Kanye’s ‘The Life Of Pablo’

Drake wrote a song for Kanye’s 2016 effort, The Life of Pablo. The Canadian hip-hop star helped pen the Isaac Hayes and Nelly-sampled “30 Hours.” Drizzy was also reportedly on the original, unreleased version of Pablo’s “Wolves,” which featured Icelandic artist Bjork (the album version features Vic Mensa and Sia).

The Duo Become Friendly, Competitive Neighbors

By the time of their initial meeting in 2009, Kanye already clocked in nearly a decade of music industry knowledge, and Drake was making the transition from teen TV star to full-time rapper. But who would have thought the duo would have eventually become actual neighbors?

Drake eventually moved to Calabasas, Calif.- a neighborhood in Los Angeles many celebrities call home- around the same time West began publicly dating his now-wife, Kim Kardashian. In the 2016 bop “Summer Sixteen,” Drizzy jokes, “Now I got a house in LA, now I got a bigger pool than Ye / And look man, Ye’s pool is nice, mine's just bigger's what I’m saying.”

View this post on Instagram

There goes the neighborhood

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Nov 7, 2016 at 3:05am PST

Kanye Supports OVO Fest

Drake created a hip-hop festival called OVO Fest in 2010. Not only does it feature notable acts in urban music, but it also gave a platform to upcoming artists from Canada who might not have gotten a platform back home. Kanye West was one of the first supports of the music event, performing at three of the festivals.

He also admitted that Drake inspired him and JAY-Z to record Watch The Throne during 2013’s OVO Fest, stating, "Me and Hov would've never made Watch the Throne if this ni**a wasn't putting pressure on us like that, so I just wanna pay my respects.”

Kanye Apologizes To Drake Over G.O.O.D. Music Album Rollouts

Earlier this fall, Kanye West apologized to Drake in a series of tweets for planning the rollout of albums by artists under his G.O.O.D music roster around the proposed release of Scorpion.

In one of the tweets, Kanye wrote “Let me start by apologizing for stepping on your release date in the first place. We were building a bond and working on music together including squashing the issues with Cudi at our office.” In another tweet, ‘Ye revealed that he never listened to the diss tracks between him and Pusha, and didn’t have conversations regarding Drake’s child with him.

Let me start by apologizing for stepping on your release date in the first place … We were building a bond and working on music together including squashing the issues with Cudi at our office.

— ye (@kanyewest) September 5, 2018

They Shared Laughs Over Meek Mill Memes

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Within that aforementioned list of artists, a new generation of lyricists and vocalists found their footing with fans and critics alike. The rising crop of talent released projects that should motivate each of them to carve out space for forthcoming awards. While we took into account the albums released from Dec. 1, 2017 to Nov. 20, 2018, that moved us emotionally, we also checked off a list of requirements like replay value, overall production, critical reception, and cultural impact.

Here are the 30 albums (in alphabetical order, not ranked), that instilled pride in our culture, made us take a look within, and encouraged us to appreciate music all over again.